Stewardship

   

The Chaplaincy of Aquitaine is self-supporting. It receives no subsidies from outside sources but relies entirely on the generosity and commitment of all who share in its life to pay its way.

 

It costs about 100,000€ each year to administer the Chaplaincy, covering the costs for our full-time Chaplain and his team of volunteer helpers. Our volunteers are unpaid but do receive expenses for their extensive travel when they take services or look after the pastoral needs of our community.

 

Most giving is through the offering taken at all our services and we really appreciate the generosity of those who give in this way. Our congregations are always larger in the summer, when those with holiday homes or summer visitors swell our numbers, but this can mean that we are short of money, particularly between Christmas and Easter.

 

We would like to encourage those within the Chaplaincy, and others who wish to support us, to give regularly. This will help us to avoid those times when our income is not sufficient to pay the bills! Regular giving of even a small sum each month, which you might wish to supplement through the offering when you can afford to do so, will be of real benefit to the work of the Chaplaincy.

 

Regular giving

There are several ways to make regular giving easy, and some of them have tax advantages too! These are

• a standing order to the Chaplaincy’s bank account

or, for UK tax payers

• a regular Gift Aid donation in pounds to the Chaplaincy’s UK bank

and, for French tax payers

• a regular donation on which tax can be reclaimed by the giver

Euro donations

If you pay any French tax at all, every euro you give as a donation by standing order (virement) or cheque actually only costs you 34 centimes as the tax man gives you back 66 centimes! Even better, a donation of 100€ only costs you 34€ thanks to the tax relief.

  

This is how it works:

 

1. You write a cheque or set up a standing order (virement) payable to the Chaplaincy of Aquitaine. If you write a cheque hand it to the local treasurer to ensure you receive a receipt at the end of the year

 

2. Not later than March of the year after your donation is made, you will receive a receipt from the church for attachment to your tax return in May

 

3. In your tax assessment 66% of all donations up to 20% of your gross income will be deducted from the final tax due

 

Sterling donations

If you prefer to pay in sterling, and are a UK tax payer, then Gift Aid is the answer. Although the authorities are less generous, the taxman’s contribution of 25% is, nevertheless, very useful and this does go directly back to the organisation to whom you have made the Gift Aid.

 

For UK taxpayers, there are two ways of obtaining this benefit.  

 

1. You can ask the local treasurer for a form or contact the Chaplaincy’s Stewardship Officer, Howard Day, La Grange du Breuil, Le Breuil, 24340 Mareuil sur Belle 05 53 60 71 04 howard.day@orange.fr

 

2. You can go to the Intercontinental Church Society’s website, www.ics-uk.org and download the form for the Aquitaine Chaplaincy and return it to the ICS.

 

Details of what you give remain confidential between you and the local or Chaplaincy treasurer and are not disclosed to anyone else.